Wings
by Sterling15
Summary: A winged girl is found by the sanctuary and sparks fly. I know. I suck at summaries and I've got a thing with wings. Sue me. and I'm a hopeless romantic, and i wanted to try my hand at writing romance. Henry/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first ever Sanctuary fic. I tried really really hard to keep everyone in character, but i apologize for any OOC-ness.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Alouetta and The Vegrandis Pennae.**

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><p>White light filtered in between my closed eyelids. Noting this, I attemped to move. No dice. Pins and needles covered my arms and legs, and I could hear a steady beeping coming from somewhere to my left. Finally locating my eyelids, they fluttered open.<p>

I was lying in a white room. My wrists and ankles were tied down, and there was this huge man fiddling with the machine emitting the beeping. This was most definitely _not_ my apartment in Salt Lake. Panic began to set in. Adrenaline pumped through my limbs, freeing them of their asleep-ness. My pulse quickened, and the nurse man whirled around.

I screamed.

I mean, can you blame me? I'm sure you would've screamed too if you were tied to a bed in the same room as a frigging _Neanderthal._ I struggled in the bindings fiercely as the big hairy guy walked over and pressed a white call-button set into the wall.

"Magnus? She's awake."

At this point, I was full out hyperventilating. My vision flashed in and out of focus and the room seemed to spin. Through the whirling of white and grey, I saw a rather beautiful woman walk in. She had long, dark brown hair and was dressed in a white lab coat.

"No," I begged. The last time I was in the present of a "doctor" he had tried to cut me up into itty bitty little pieces. "P-please. Please don't hurt me. I'll- I'll give you blood, feathers, anything. Just- p- please don't," tears welled out of my eyes and the doctor grimaced. Setting a gently hand on my forearm, she spoke quietly.

"My dear, you have nothing to fear here. We will protect you. Those other doctors won't ever get their hands on you. I promise."

Against my will, my body began to relax. Her voice was soothing and kind. I nodded hesitantly and she smiled.

"Wonderful. Now, do you feel up to eating? We can let you out of the restraints now that we know that you are sane."

Nodding again, I said, "Yes ma'am. Thanks." She smiled again and proceeded to remove the thick Velcro cuffs from my wrist and legs. Drawing my legs up, I sat forward until I was sitting cross-legged. The doctor handed me a little tub of pudding. Figures.

"Okay," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting beside my bed, "I just have a few questions."

Swallowing a mouthful of pudding, I nodded.

Still smiling, she asked, "What is your name?"

"Alouetta Davis. Lou for short."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty four."

"Do you know what you are?"

Sighing, I leaned back against the familiar cushioning of my abnormal appendages. "Uhm… a birdy?"

Setting down her clipboard, she leaned forward. "We've actually categorized you as a creature called a Vegrandis Pennae. I know this might seem very personal… but… may I see them?"

Even though I felt like I could trust her, I was cautious. I always was. Ever since I was kidnapped by the first lab. Sighing, I shuffled until I was facing away from her, made sure my butt was covered by the flimsy hospital gown I wore, and sat.

"May I- may I touch them?"

I nodded. Then I felt fingers gently touch feathers. A shiver wracked my body and I fought the urge to launch myself off the table and fight my way out.

"Stretch them out please?"

And I did. I stretched out the two things that had caused me to be hunted and tested on since I was a teenager. Two large, brown and black speckled wings.

**/A/**

When the doc had finished her examination and a long list of questions, she brought me a bundle of fabric in her arms.

"I hope this will fit… it was the only thing I could find without a back." Taking the bundle, it fell apart in my arms to reveal a soft cotton tank dress.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, smiling softly.

"You don't need to call me ma'am. Magnus will do." She smiled gently and stepped out to give me privacy.

Carefully removing the hospital gown, I dressed in my underwear and then pulled the white dress over my head. I had to carefully maneuver my wings, but eventually the dress fell around my knees and I zip up the back. Shaking my wings out I fold them gently against my back. Careful to avoid the expensive-looking machinery, I leaned over and press the call-button. "Uhm… Dr. Magnus?"

"Yes, Dear?"

"I don't know where to go now."

"Oh! How silly of me. I'll send Henry right up. He'll be able to take you to my office."

I sat on the bed, my wings shuffling restlessly behind me, and ran my fingers through my unruly, curly brown hair. Why couldn't I remember what happened right before I came here? Sighing, I let my wings relax and drape down the other side of the bed.

A beep and the sound of the airlock door opening made my head shoot up, meeting some of the loveliest grey-blue eyes I've ever seen. I let my eyes wander down to observe muscular arms and a long-sleeved grey t-shirt, ending in calloused hands clutching a tablet. Realizing that I'm totally checking him out, I shot my eyes back up to meet his.

"Uh- hi," he says. "You- you uh…"

Cocking an eyebrow at his awkwardness, I finished for him, a laugh coloring my voice, "Lou. My name's Lou. You're Henry?"

He nodded, relaxing slightly, "Yup. Well… C'mon, Lou. Doc wants a word with you about your lodging."

Smiling, I pushed myself and dropped the few inches down to the cold tile flooring. I shook out my wings before folding them against my back, relaxed, and sighed when I saw Henry's eyes widen at the abnormality. Padding barefoot to the door, I clasped my hands together.

"Uhm… Henry? I don't know where I'm going…"

"Oh!" my reminder seemed to wake him from his daze, and he half-jogged out the door and nodded to me before we started our way down the corridor.

I hate awkward silences. "So, Henry… what is this place? Doctor Magnus said that it's a sanctuary for… for abnormals?"

A small smile graced his lovely lips and he said, "Yeah. Abormals are anyone or anything that's… different. Like you for instance, or me, or Big Guy. You er… Met him. Big, hairy cave man?"

I smirked and nodded. "Yeah. He uh… _startled_ me when I first woke up." He grinned and sauntered on. Then I realized what he'd said. "Wait. You? You're an abnormal? You don't look like one."

His smile turned slightly bitter. "Yeah, well, you can't always see it in how people look." He walked a few more paces. "I'm a HAP. A hyper-accelerated protean life form." At my blank look, he continued, "it's like a werewolf."

At that I grinned. I mean, come on. A werewolf? How much cooler can you get? "Okay," I said simply, and he paused. "That's pretty damn awesome," I finished, my face stretched in a huge smile.

He chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes it is."

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><p><strong>Okay. So... Should I continue? I am a TOTAL romantic. and I actually have a kinda-sorta plot idea! :D Yes! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the walk to Magnus's office was pretty quiet, but I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of Henry's face. He was hot, sure, but there was something else. Certain sadness about him. But then he would catch a glimpse of another abnormal wandering the halls and his face seemed to lift. I've always been good at reading people, and watching Henry, I knew he felt safe and reassured here.

"Ta-da!" He exclaimed, stopping at an open doorway and gesturing inside with a wide sweep of his arm.

I blushed embarrassingly at the display and step around him and then I jumped as I felt his hand gently brush by my wing. He chuckled and began walking away. "See you later!"

Face flaming, I walked over to Magnus's desk and stood, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Please, sit, my dear," she said, not looking up.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "I, er… Can't. Unless you have a stool." My wings would get in the way otherwise. There was no way for her to know that, but I honestly _couldn't_ sit in the squishy-looking high-backed chair. My wings reached down to my ankles, so it was hard enough to lie down in a bed.

Magnus seemed slightly embarrassed as she jumped up. "Oh, yes, of course. I'm so sorry." She walked over to a corner and pulled out a fluffy foot-stool. "I hope this will work."

I smiled thankfully and settled down. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Just about where you'll be living. You are more than welcome to stay here at the Sanctuary, but…"

"Really?" I asked, slightly disbelieving.

"Of course! We have more than enough room, there are people here you can relate to, and you'll be safe," she smiled gently at me.

**/A/**

I stood in the room- correction- _My_ room, and spun in a slight circle. I didn't have any clothes, but a lovely Indian woman I had met, Kate, had offered to run to a store and try to find some back-less shirts and dresses. She made thrift store clothes look badass. I couldn't wait. And speak of the devil! Just then, Kate herself swung in, knocking briefly on the open door.

"Hey, Lou. You wanna come get somethin' to eat?"

With one last glance around my new room, I nodded and followed her out.

"Kate? Are you an abnormal too?"

She chuckled. "Nah. I've just got experience in the field."

I nodded again, walking beside her carefully. I _really_ wanted to ask her about Henry. Like… Bad. Just then, alarms rang out, echoing through the cavern-like halls. Red lights flashed above us, and Kate's hand whipped down to her belt, grabbing up her walkie.

"Hey! What's going on?" She spoke rapidly into the speaker.

"_The new intake! Tranks wore off!"_ Henry's voice rang through.

"Well, what is it?"

For a few seconds all we heard was static, before Henry's voice broke through, _"It's an Amplus Gero!"_

"A what?" Kate stared at the walkie, confusion clouding her features.

"_Picture a really really big bear with fang- Aah!"_ Suddenly his voice broke off with a crash and the walkie went silent.

"Oh, come on!" Kate yelled, taking off down the hall. I stared after her for a few shocked seconds before running after her, my wings spreading out and catching some air, helping me glide across the floor rather than run.

When I caught up to Kate, she was running through a sliding door and there were loud roars coming from inside. Following her through, I froze in shock, my feathers fluffing up defensively.

Henry hadn't been exaggerating. The bear was HUGE. It was at least 12 feet tall on all fours, and there was Henry, firing a stunner at the bear's head. Even as I watched, the bear swatted an enormous paw at the man, sending him sprawling across the room. I could see Kate sneaking around the edge of the room, and I could also see the bear beginning to turn toward her.

"Oi!" I yelled, throwing out my wings to their full size. "Over here, you oversized teddy bear!"

The bear froze and locked its black gaze on me. Of course, fear paralyzed my body. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see Kate hauling Henry to his feet. Then, Henry's body seemed to seize, his body hunching over and his face screwed up in pain. Suddenly, he exploded outward, his clothes going flying, and in his place was an enormous, brown wolf standing on its hind legs, snarling.

The snarling distracted the bear, and gave me an opening. As it launched towards Henry, I grabbed a silvery gun off the wall and gave a huge flap of my wings, launching myself up. Landing astride the bear's neck, I fired directly down into its scull once, twice, three times before it started to stumble. It reared up on its hind legs, launching me off its back and I crumpled against a wall. The bear moved drunkenly toward Henry and he jumped up, latching his jaws around the bear's throat, holding it still. Kate fired off a few tranquilizers from her gun and Henry bit down harder. Finally, the bear collapsed, a massive snore erupting from its chest.

Groaning, I dragged myself off the floor and walked carefully over to Henry, who was slowly turning back into a human. The bear's swipe had done more damage to Henry's chest than I originally thought, a large, purpling bruise spreading across his ribs. Several had to be broken. He fell to the ground, eyes half closed, and completely naked.

Acknowledging the fact that his clothes had been demolished, I sat heavily beside him and draped a wing over his body just as Magnus, the cave man, and another man I didn't know rushed in. They stopped when they saw me conserving Henry's modesty.

"Well," Magnus said, "Welcome to the sanctuary, Lou."

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><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later Magnus, Big Guy, Kate, and William (who I met after the whole bear fiasco) left me with a frustrated Henry on bed arrest. As they headed out the door on a mission, Kate wished me good luck with the grumpy man, who had been sentenced to a week in bed with broken ribs.

As I walked to his room, I was met with the sight of him gingerly touching his toes to the floor.

"Hey! Henry, get your ass back in bed. You're not supposed to be moving."

At that he groaned and flopped back down, grimacing at the pain in his chest. Carefully setting his tray of food on a desk, I went over and wrapped an arm around his waist, helping him shift his weight back to the middle of the bed.

Wincing, he muttered, "Thanks, Lou. You got any pizza?"

I snorted out a small laugh and turned back to the tray, which happened to contain a large piece of three meat pizza an apple and a beer, and set it on his lap. I big smile lit up his face and I chuckled, grabbing up the remote control and clicking on the television that Biggie had lugged into the room.

**/A/**

Over the week of Henry's bed arrest, we became pretty darn close friends. The Sanctuary team was in and out of the house all week, so I spent most of my day hanging out in his room, watching TV, talking about our pasts, and just enjoying each other's company. I was beginning to wane out of my little crush on Henry, cuz I just felt like I really didn't have any chance. He'd told me that he had just broken it off with a HAP woman.

One evening while watching an episode of Iron Chef and drinking beers, we were sitting side by side on Henry's bed. I could feel the comforting heat of Henry's body beside mine, and my eyes had slipped closed, my head dropping to rest on his shoulder. I could feel his arm around my shoulders, gently stroking my left wing feathers, lulling me to sleep. And sleep I did.

**/A/**

I awoke the next morning to a door creaking open, and my wing being bent at an odd angle. I could feel a warmth enveloping me, and I shifted closer to the comfort.

"Holy God, I knew it!"

A screeching voice erupted through the room, penetrating my sweet sleep. My eyes flew open and were met with Henry's bleary blues. Slowly returning to full-awake-ness, I realized the warmth was from his body pressed against mine, and his arm wrapped around my waist. I felt a peace come over myself as I lost myself in his gentle presence. Then of course, Kate had to ruin it.

"Ha ha ha! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" she sang, dancing around, and grinning, making us both sit up.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Henry asked, a hand to his head and his voice sleep heavy.

In answer, Kate held out her phone, a picture on the screen. A picture of Henry and myself fully asleep, one of my wings folded, one over him, his arm around my waist, and our foreheads together.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, I attempted to calm her down. "Uhm, it- it's nothing. We were just hanging out and fell asleep…" My eyes locked on Kate, I missed the flash of hurt on Henry's face.

Eyes narrowed, Kate glanced between our faces, both still slightly bleary from sleep. Shrugging, she pocketed her phone, walking out the door. "Whatever."

After she left, Henry and I sat awkwardly, hearts pounding, hoping that the other would talk. Finally, I couldn't take the silence.

"Uh… well, I'm going to go… uh…."

Henry gave a small nod, turning away and half-rolling off the bed. Climbing softly off the covers, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

I left.

**/A/**

Months passed. I slowly fell into the routine and order of the Sanctuary, even helping out on a few cases. I barely talked to Henry. I found myself missing his sense of humor and his geek-talk. I missed his love of pizza, and how he could make a working engine out of a paperclip and a roll of tape.

One night, I found myself unable to sleep, tossing and turning and cursing my memory of the gentle, easy, wonderful feeling of sleeping beside Henry.

Groaning, I pushed myself out of bed, dressed in a tanktop and booty shorts, and crept out my room. Tea is God. Tea will deliver me unto sleep. Running a hand through my big bed-head I walked into the dark kitchen, rummaging through the cupboard for the teabags.

"The tea is one door over," came a quiet voice from the corner.

I whirled around, met with the bright gaze of Henry, and froze. My mind flashed back to the sweet memory of waking up to those sweet eyes. I swallowed thickly, trying to find my voice, frozen in my place as he walked slowly toward me, stopping a few inches away.

"Have- have you been avoiding me?" He asked softly.

"I thought you were avoiding me," I breathed, my wings spreading out and down, my senses overwhelmed with pure _Henry._

His eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Me avoiding you? I thought that you were upset because I was… holding you when you woke up."

My gaze flashed to his. "What? No! Actually…" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, "Actually that's all I've been able to think since that morning."

His eyes lit up, and his hand lifted to my cheek, gently brushing his thumb across my cheekbone. He leaned forward slowly and my eyes fluttered.

When his lips were centimeters from mine, he whispered softly, "Do you want this as much as I do?"

I had no words, so I simply closed the distance between our faces, pressing my lips gently to his. He cupped my jaw with one hand, the other going to my waist and pulling me flush against his body. Smiling into his lips, I raised my wings around us, separating us from the rest of the world. Pulling back, I stared into his eyes, fear evident in my own. I pressed my lips tightly together, nibbling on my bottom lip.

After a full 2 minutes of just staring at each other, I said, "We're going to have to do something eventually… we can't stand here all night."

With a small smile, Henry took my hands and gently pulled me into the sitting room, sitting down on the wide couch and pulling me down on his lap. Cupping my jaw, he kissed me chastely and slowly fell to the side, pulling me down with him. He opened his arm, and I settled there, rubbing my nose into his shoulder, my wings falling, relaxed, over the edge of the couch and brushing the carpeted floor.

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><p><strong>AN: BLEH. This chapter was really hard to spit out. Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Not so happy with this chapter, since it's mostly a space filler. Next chapter gets the action amped up. :) **

**I only own Lou and the plot.**

**On with the fluff!**

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><p>Waking up the next morning made me VERY happy. As my eyes opened slowly, they were met with Henry's dancing slate-blues. Leaning forward slowly, he kissed my cheek bone just below my eye. Pulling back, he whispered, "Hi."<p>

Smiling slightly, I answered, "Hello." Then he lifted his head slightly, his nose twitching.

"Oh, damn."

"What…." I began to ask, before being interrupted by Magnus walking into the room.

"Henry, can you- oh. Hello, Lou. I actually need to talk to you both."

Henry and I sat up on the couch, sitting with our shoulders pressed together, my wings going over the low back and stretching out slightly around Henry.

Magnus smiled briefly before her face turned more serious. "Well, as you, Henry, know, we're currently trying to shut down one of the major abnormal slave trade group-"

"Yeah, and getting nowhere," Henry interrupted gruffly, clearly irked by this fact. I tentatively rested my hand on his knee before nodding to Magnus to continue.

"_Anyway_, one of Kate's contacts said that they're actually working out of a church, and one of the priests is working with them. The other priest he serves with has no idea."

Then I was confused. "I don't understand. What does this have to do with me? Can't you just tell him?"

Magnus sighed, clearly frustrated… I just hoped it wasn't directed at me. "We tried. Apparently he's a very devout man. He said he'd wait for a sign from God, which is where I need you to come in."

I stared at her, uncomprehending.

She gave a short huff, clearly uncomfortable. "I need you to go in and tell him that you're an angel. That you're his sign from God."

"What?" I exclaimed, "You want me to lie to a priest? Isn't that like… A whole new level of sin?"

Magnus fixed me with a look. "If you won't do it…"

"N-n-n-no. I never said I wouldn't do it; I'm just not all that comfortable about it… You said that it's about a slave trading ring?"

Magnus nodded. I sighed.

"Okay," I muttered, "Alright, I'll do it. But I want to be there when you whoop some slave trader ass."

At that Magnus smiled and stood, brushing her hands down her lap on her fitted back skirt. "Thank you, Lou." She gave Henry a look and then left.

**/A/**

After I had showered and dressed in a tight pair of dark jeans and a loose, purple, halter top shirt, I went to Magnus' office, and found Magnus, Biggie, Will, Kate, and Henry, who scooted down the couch slightly to make room for me. I smiled my thanks and sat sideways so that my wings could rest comfortably. Then I caught the looks Kate, Will and Biggie were giving us.

Kate and Will were sat in the two chairs directly in front of Magnus' desk, and were twisted around to look at us with twinkling eyes. Biggie was leaning against the wall and just stared.

"_What?"_ I asked, exasperated.

Kate and Will chuckled, turning back around, and Biggie just grunted.

Henry rolled his eyes, "Oh, hardy-har-har."

Before I could ask what he was 'laughing' at, Magnus looked up from the files on her desk. "Okay, Lou? Do you understand what you're supposed to be doing?"

I nodded hesitantly, "Yeah. I go in with Henry, tell Father Mitchell that I'm an angel, and somehow make him believe that his fellow priest is involved with abnormal slave trade. Is that it?"

Kate answered, "Improvisation is your friend."

As we went over everybody's jobs, my eyes kept drifting back to Henry. These people were his family. They loved him, and he loved them right on back. I knew that Magnus had raised him, and I was jealous. I never really had a family. I'm assuming that my parents were Vegrandis Pennaes as well, but I honestly don't know.

As a child, I lived with my auntie. I'm fairly certain she wasn't my actual aunt, but she raised me in the middle of nowhere, Utah. Living out there, we didn't have to worry about hiding my wings all the time, and the few times we went into the city, I wore a cloak. When I turned 19, Auntie died. I sold her house, and used the money to build my new life. New home, new clothes, new last name, all of it. I just needed to start over.

**/A/**

After the meeting in Magnus' office, Henry and I took a walk around the screened grounds. The sun was shining, and the wind blew through our clothes and my feathers. It felt nice to just let them stretch and relax while outside. Henry took my hand gently in his.

"Are you sure you can do this?" he asked softly.

I nodded, smiling slightly. "Fairly sure." Coming to a stop, we sat beneath a huge tree, leaning our backs against the rough bark, my wings making comfy pillows for the both of us. He began playing with my fingers, crossing and uncrossing, wiggling them back and forth. I leaned my head on his shoulder. "Hey," I said, remembering earlier, "What were you laughing at when we first sat down in Magnus' office?"

He looked momentarily confused before he smiled. "Ah. Yeah. Uh, they totally know. And were trying to make me uncomfortable. Not sure what their logic was though. You're gorgeous, and sweet, and obviously a great asset."

I smiled slightly at his praise. "Thanks, Henry. You're not so bad yourself."

He chuckled and took my hand firmly in his before sighing quietly. "Are you sure you _want_ to do this? Cuz once you get involved in this aspect of the team…"

I stopped him with a brush of my finger against his cheek. "I'm sure, Henry. I want to help. I want to be the Karma to those traders."

"But what if you get hurt-"

"Henry. I'll be fine. Now hold me."

He chuckled, reaching an arm in between my back and the pillow of my wings, and kissed the top of my head.

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><p><strong>Hm. It's awfully short, isn't it?... oh well. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. Prepare for the angst and action! <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh my god! IT'S EVEN SHORTER THAN THE LAST! D: I'm fairly pissed. :(**

**Anyway, I'd like to give a shout out to melissaadams22, cuz she's reviewed every single chapter! Thank you! (And i apologize for the shortness of the chapters)**

**Onward!**

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><p>The next morning I was standing in front of my mirror, dressed in an mid-calf-length white dress, my dark hair braided to the side. My makeup was done simply, with lightly applied eyeshadow that set off my grey-green eyes. I had groomed my wings, and the edges of each feather were slightly shimmering, the black spots seeming to melt into the tan and brown.<p>

Giving the hem of the dress one last tug, I set out down the hallway to Magnus' office.

"Dr. Magnus? Are you in here?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, dear."

I followed her voice around a large cabinet, and found her loading up her person with weapons. Side arms, a knife here, a dirk slipped into her boot, a tiny revolver in her back pocket.

"Damn. You feeling paranoid?" I asked.

She chuckled, "Yup. It kind of seems like every single time we go out on a big mission, _something_ goes wrong. I like to be prepared." At that, she firmly pressed a 38 revolver into my hand.

"Uh- what am I supposed to do with this?" I exclaimed, holding the small gun flat out in my hand.

She gave me a look. "Hide it in here." Next she put a thigh holster in my other hand.

"Uhm, uhm, uhm, uh- I _really_ don't want to have this… Can I just have a knife instead? I'm… kinda scared I'll shoot one of you guys."

Magnus smiled and took the gun and holster back, instead handing me a sheathed dagger with another thigh holder.

"Thanks, doc."

**/A/**

After my meeting with Magnus, I headed to the foyer with the knife strapped to my thigh, hidden by the swishy fabric of my skirt. Once there, I saw Henry leaning against a wall, concentrating on his ever-present tablet.

As I walked toward him, his nostrils flared and he looked up, a small smile lighting his face, "Hey, Bird."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Dog."

He grinned and shoved his tablet into one of his large pockets, opening his arms, which I walked into. He rested his chin on the top of my head, which testified to my short stature, since Henry isn't all that tall. Then Kate and Will walked in, dressed in black and grey, and carrying REALLY big guns.

"You two ready to go?" Will asked.

Kate tossed me a pair of leather boots, "You're free to keep them." Leaning my weight against a rough wall, I tugged them on.

Big guy walked in, his hairiness covered by a thick cloak, another cloak bundled in his arms. "Hrm… Here you go," he rasped, shaking out the cloak and handing it to me.

I smiled gratefully and swung the cloak around to settle on my shoulders, covering my (now folded) wings. Then Magnus came out and we set off.

Loading into the van, Magnus and Biggie in the front, the rest of us crammed in the back, Henry started messing with his tablet again.

"Hey, doc? Once we convince the one priest, what are we gonna do about the bad one?"

"Well, Henry, the whole issue is that Father Mitchell wouldn't tell us where the Father Paul was. Once Lou convinces Father Mitchell of her angel-hood, she can ask him."

Henry tilted his head from side to side sarcastically. "Oh, is that it?"

"Shut up, Hank," Kate said with a long eye roll. Chuckling, I set a hand on Henry's knee, leaning my shoulder into his, which just made Kate roll her eyes again. "Aw, Will, look at the little couple."

I shifted my _very_ cramped wings irritably before sticking my tongue out at her.

**/A/**

As we pulled up to the street around the church, I began to feel hordes of butterflies crowding each other in my stomach. _What if he still didn't believe us? What if he wasn't even there? What if he was actually involved too?_ Loads of panicked _what ifs_ ran through my head as I clamored out of the van with Kate, leaving Will, Henry, Magnus, and Biggie inside, and adjusted my cloak to cover my wings fully. Kate tucked a gun into the waistband of her pants.

"_Lou? Can you hear us?"_ Dr. Magnus' voice buzzed into my ear from the skin-colored earpiece.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"_Don't call me ma'am. Okay, here we go. I'll take the van around the corner, and then we'll spread out. Henry's staying inside to monitor the equipment."_

Then Henry's voice came through. _"You guys be careful." _

"Will do, Hank," was Kate's reply as she surveyed the area before turning to me. "Let's go."

Hugging the cloak around my shoulders, I walked through the doors of the old church behind Kate. Walking down an aisle towards us was a man with silver temples and a priest's getup.

"Miss Freelander, I told you and your associate that I will not tell you Father Paul's whereabouts without a court order, or a sign from God himself."

Rolling her eyes, Kate held up a supposedly calming hand, "Yeah, I got that, Padre. I've just brought someone to meet you." Turning slightly, she placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me forward gently.

Quelling my tumbling nerves, I stepped up, gently taking one of the father's hands in my own. "Hello, Mitchell. My name is Lou."

Father Mitchell's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Where is the other woman?"

I sighed quietly. "I came to give you an urgent message." The butterflies were back. Bringing my hands to my throat, I pulled open the cloak, freeing my wings. Shaking them out slightly, I turned and handed the cloak to Kate, then turned back to Father Mitchell. His mouth hung open and his eyes were fixed to my wings.

"H- how…?" He stuttered out the question.

Grimacing internally, I answered, "I'm an angel. I've come to warn you about Father Paul."

"So… They were right about him? He's... involved in some sort of slave trade?"

I nodded solemnly. "Something like that. Now we just need to know where he is."

Then a voice rang out through the church, and we spun around to see another priest walking through a side door, brandishing a handgun. "He's right here. You made a big mistake, freak."

After that everything seemed to move in simultaneously in slow and hyper motion. A gunshot rang out, Father Mitchell crumpled to the ground, another bang and Kate grabbed her shoulder, stumbling into the pews. Then pain exploded above my head, echoing around my skull. My vision began to fuzz out. The last thing I heard was Henry's panicked voice in my ear.

"_Lou! Loey, are you guys okay? Lou!"_

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><p><strong>TO be continued... DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the incredibly late update, I've been on vacation with no internet... until now! We're renting a house on the coast, and said house has internet access! :D**

**I'd like to thank _Druid Archer, melissaadams22, _and _Jajacques_ for reviewing last chapter! **

**Warning: Explicit language**

**anyway... Onward!**

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><p>Slowly returning to consciousness, I glanced around my surroundings. I seemed to be lying in a normal-looking, albeit small, bedroom. It was complete with a twin bed, a small dresser, and a desk in the corner. The walls were a bright white… almost too bright. Then the floor was a light brown with a fluffy rug in the middle. I was still wearing the white dress from… before… Woah.<p>

Suddenly I remembered what had happened the night before. We had been attacked. Kate was shot. Father Mitchell was probably dead. Tightening my stomach muscles, I sat up and clutched the back of my head as it throbbed. My fingers ghosted over a small egg at the base of my neck, and I swung my legs off the bed. I stretched my arms out to my sides along with my wings, and settling my hands on my lap, I could feel the knife Magnus had given me still strapped to the inside of my thigh.

Carefully edging out of the bed, I made my way over to the door and pulled the knob… it was locked. Groaning, I thumped my head against the door. Then a speaker buzzed to life above my head. "Specimen 243, please return to your bed. You will shortly be meeting your… I guess you could currently say _master._"

I stared at the speaker in disbelief, "Are you shitting me? _my master?_ What the hell does that even mean?"

"Please return to your bed, 243."

Grumbling like a petulant child, I turned on my heel and stomped back to the bed. Sitting cris-cross-applesauce with my arms folded and my wings spread out over the bed, I bit my lip, trying not to cry. Magnus would never cry. I'll bet Kate wouldn't either. They'd be strong in my situation. Then I thought of Henry. Was he okay?

Suddenly I heard a key rattling in the lock, and the knob turned. I watched as a tall man with cropped blonde hair stepped into the room, dressed in a slim-fitting black suit. "Hello, 243. I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Joshua Cartler. I'm here to just make sure you're comfortable."

I cocked an eyebrow at his aloof-ness before answering, "Just about how comfortable a girl can be while being held captive."

His eyebrow cocked at the word 'Girl'.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that for the rest of your natural life, you will be in captivity." At that, he turned and walked toward the door.

I gaped after him, "Wha- what the hell does that mean?"

As if in answer, all of the too-white walls faded clear, revealing that they were just glass. And on the other side of the glass were people milling around with notepads and pens clutched in their hands, looking at me curiously.

He paused in the doorway. "You're for sale. If it's any consolation, you're quite expensive."

**/A/**

I had been there for 3 days when Mr. Cartler came back. My day had basically consisted of sleeping, eating the boxes of pizza and bottles of pop they had brought me, and sitting on the bed with my wings extended around my body, shielding me from observation.

Every night after the people had left, I was allowed out of a little door in the corner of my room into a large bathroom, where I got the opportunity to use the restroom and shower. I looked forward to it, because it was the only time that I got the chance for privacy. Before my shower, I would stash Magnus's knife in my stack of towels. After I would get out of the shower, I would wrap a towel around my middle, and someone would have left my newly washed dress nicely folded on the bathroom counter. I would dress, subtly re-strap the knife, and return to my room, and it would start all over again.

From the glances out from inside my cocoon, all the people lined up seemed to be very wealthy. Fancy dresses and suits.

One day I could have sworn I saw Will standing in the crowd, dressed impeccably, with Kate on his arm. When I looked back, they were gone. That was the day that Mr. Cartler opened the door to my room and walked in, sniffing and looking down at my huddled form on the bed.

"243," he began.

"Lou," I interrupted, I was getting sick of being called a number.

His gaze narrowed before he continued, "I have orders to bring you to our meeting room." When I simply glared, he waved his hand and my walls faded back to white. Turning on his heel, he walked out.

Cautiously rising to my feet, I began to follow him out, before someone grabbed me from behind and pulled a cord around my neck. My mind immediately flashed to the movies I would watch with Henry, and I threw my wings out, knocking whoever it was off balance, but as they fell, I was pulled down with them. Lying in the hallway, my wings crumpled and bent awkwardly, I threw a hand to my neck, and realized there was a leather collar there.

"Seriously?" I grumbled, looking to my dazed attacker who had a leash clutched in his hand. Then Mr. Cartler's polished shoes came into view, and he bent down, taking the leash from the man's hand and yanking me to my feet.

He gazed at me, emotion as in-check as always, and turned, leash in hand, to walk down the hallway. I followed.

As we walked, I began to notice other creatures in varying enclosures. A mermaid in a tank, one of those enormous bears in a cage that resembled a forest, and some goblin-looking thing in a desert setting, the thermostat on the wall reading 176 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before I could see any more, I was pulled into a nicely furnished room, occupied by an older man and woman, both of which were looking at me speculatively.

"Lou," Mr. Cartler began, "these are Mr. and Mrs. Froser, your possible buyers."

I stared at him blankly. "Excuse me?"

"Depending on your behavior, you could possibly be getting out of here."

Which meant opportunities to escape and find the sanctuary. Squaring my shoulders, I looked at them. "What do you want me to do?"

Stepping forward, Mr. Froser said, "We just want to look you over, make sure you aren't damaged."

I glared at him. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Stretch your arms and wings out to the side." I did, and felt incredibly violated as he looked me over, I could practically _feel_ his eyes skating over my body. Then I felt him place his hand on my left wing, and jumped away.

"Oh, _hell_ no! Do _NOT_ touch my wings."

Mr. Cartler stepped forward, hands outstretched. "He is simply inspecting-"

I glared at him, "Fuck off! Do you have any idea how intimate that is?"

Stepping back, Mr. Froser fixed me with a cool glare, and spoke to Mr. Cartler. "I'm sorry, but I do not believe she is appropriate for our uses," and he and his wife left.

I was practically dragged by my leash back to my room.

"You stupid bitch!" Mr. Carlter yelled as he tossed me onto the floor, planting a foot on an outstretched wing. I stared, terrified. I had never seen him lose his cool. "That would have been our best sale this year! And you had to go and ruin it?" Leaving the collar and leash attached to me, he stormed out and slammed the door. I felt a new resolve. Screw the establishment. I'd been using their bed, eating their food, using their facilities. I'd totally been settling in. Not anymore.

Eyes hardening, I sat in the middle of the room and waited for the walls to clear.

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><p><strong>So... what do you think? Please review! :) <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! So... i wrote this chapter in the car, on the way home from our vacation. (which was a blast) My muse has been a bit of a bitch lately, so... yeah. **

**Thanks to melissaadams22 and Druid Archer for reviewing last chapter!**

**Onwards!**

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><p>Stretched out to their full size, my wings nearly filled the small room, and that's how I mostly held them over the next couple days. Fluffed up and defensive. I would pace my room like a caged animal, which I suppose is what I was. If someone dared to come close to the glass walls of my room, I would practically snarl and pounce at them. I'm assuming it began to scare people off, since Cartler hadn't come back.<p>

Once, after a day of pacing around my room, snarling and glaring at people… I lost it. I lost my last shred of humanity. Being trapped in an enclosed space such as the room took its toll. You know Taz, from the Loony Tunes? Imagine that. I tore through my room with a fury. Spinning, ripping, breaking, all the while my wings adding to the damage.

Eventually, Cartler, along with two other men, burst into the room, one man each going to restrain my wings, while Carlter came around to my front and seized my left arm, inserting a needle and pressing down on the plunger. His furious expression glared down at me, but I just snarled, thrashing in the croonies' hold. Then, as the shot reached my bloodstream, my vision blurred, and I floated into the oblivion.

**/A/**

When I woke next, I was surrounded by feathers. Recognizing them as my own wings, I slowly sat up. Parting my wing-made cocoon, I looked around, and saw my new 'room'. Steel bars. It was truly a cage. About 10 feet by 10 feet, and 6 feet tall. I couldn't extend my wings fully, but at least I could stand. Reaching a hand to my throat, I found the collar still intact, but the leash gone. Then Cartler stepped forward into the light shining from a bare bulb. The left side of his face was puffy and red, and his left arm was wrapped in gauze and in a sling. I fixed him with a glare.

"So this is what happens when one of your creatures doesn't act civilized?" I demanded angrily.

He met my glare and smiled. "Yes," he answered simply. "They come down here, and we fix them."

Nose wrinkling in disgust, I felt a flash of fear. "W- what does that mean?" I hated myself for stuttering.

With an unapologetic smile, Cartler turned and left. I glared after him.

"Bastard."

I started, shifting my wings and looking to my right, where another half-illuminated cage sat. All I could see was a scaled tail leading into the dark.

"Hello?" I asked the dark.

The tail shifted, and the same voice came out. "Hola. What'd tu do ta get 'ere?"

I sighed, folding my wings and leaning back against the bars of my cage, using my wings as pillows. "I told Cartler to fuck off, and wouldn't let a buyer touch me. Then I trashed the room I was in. You?"

A chuckle erupted from the cage. "I bit Cartler. That's why his arm is wrapped up. I'm a bit poisonous. Scratched his face too. Killed one o' his stupid henchmen. This is my second time 'ere. Not a nice place."

A small smile graced my face. "I wish I had your strength. And guts. I havn't been able to touch him. Knocked a henchman out though."

It was silent for a few minutes. Then, "What's ya' name, stranger?"

"Lou," I answered back softly. "Yours?"

"I'm Rosa. What are you?"

"Well, apparently my scientific name is a Vegrandis Pennae. I'm basically just a human with bird wings… You?"

Another low, sad chuckle. "I'm not exactly sure I have a name." The tail shifted, slithering back into the dark, and then I saw movement in the shadows. It appeared to be humanoid. Then Rosa crawled into sight. Her age was hard to determine, thanks to the expanse of brown and moss-green scales covering her skin. She was wearing a black tank top and brown cargo pants. A pink forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air, and then she smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, and waved a clawed hand. "Hola, roomie."

**/A/**

There was really nothing to do or look at in the dark, except talk to Rosa. So we swapped stories. I told her about growing up in Southern Utah, she told me about growing up Northern Mexico, near the Rio Grande. She told me about her family, all of which were the same sort of lizard-creature, and I told her about living in an apartment in the city, and my techniques of hiding my wings. Then I told her about the Sanctuary. When I mentioned Dr. Magnus, her eyes lit up.

"I know of Helen Magnus! She's a legend! Is she really as kind as the stories say?"

I smiled softly, remembering my first meeting with the woman. "Yes. She is." I went on, telling her about Will and Kate, Biggie... When I got to Henry, Rosa giggled.

"Do you _like_ Señor Henry?"

I blushed, bringing my wings up to cover all of my face except my eyes. "A little more than _like_, Rosa."

She giggled again, "Oh, amiga, you're red as a tomato! So… Is he… different? Like us different?"

I smiled softly, pulling my wings back and nodding. "He is what Dr. Magnus calls a HAP. A…." I frowned, trying to remember what Henry had called it. "A… Hyper-accelerated Protean Lifeform." At Rosa's blank stare, I chuckled, and elaborated. "Henry's a werewolf."

Rosa grinned at that, sitting cross-legged and fiddling with the spikes on the end of her tail. "Oh, very cool."

I laughed. "That's exactly what I said."

**/A/**

It was during one of these light conversations that Cartler came back. The door swung open, momentarily lighting the darkness, before slamming shut. "194! Have you learned your lesson yet?"

Rosa snarled. "And what lesson would that be, Señor? Because if tu are referring to what a pompous ass you are, then sí, I'm certainly aware."

Cartler smiled grimly. "I'm afraid that's not the lesson I was hoping to impose."

Rosa slapped a sarcastic hand to her heart. "Oh, dear me. Well, you must get better at teaching, amigo, cuz that's the only thing I was picking up on."

Despite the fear I felt at Cartler's presence, I couldn't hold back a light snicker. Cartler's head snapped over to bore into my eyes. "And you, 243? What've you learned?"

Heart fluttering, I shook my head, mirth draining from my eyes. "N- not much."

Cartler walked over to my cage and glared down at me. Without a word, he waved a henchman over to unlock the door, swinging it open. Reaching an arm in, he clipped a leash onto my collar, and as he pulled his arm back, I felt a primal urge… and succumbed. Lurching forward, I grabbed onto his arm and bit him. Not a nip… full on bite, sinking my slightly longer canines into his arm. I felt the give of his skin in my mouth and tasted the spurt of copper. I heard his yell, and while he was preoccupied with unlatching me, I draped my wings slightly, and reached my hands to my leg, unstrapping the knife. Cartler dragged me out of the cage by the leash and punched me hard in the side of the head. I gasped as stars danced in front of my eyes. While he stumbled away and his cronies grabbed onto my wings, I locked eyes with Rosa. She had seen me unstrap the knife. Making sure Cartler was still occupied, I tossed the blade in its sheath towards Rosa's cage, and prayed she caught it, before Cartler marched back up, fury evident in his eyes, and I was dragged away.

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><p><strong>Ooh, what's gonna happen? <strong>

**I honestly don't know. *shrug***

**Muse: *vomits***

**Me: Ooh! Plot!**

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

I'm sorry this is so short, I'll try to get back in the writing groove again. I think I kinda gave up on this, but then i kept getting requests to pick it back up. SO here we go!

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><p>A whimper slipped out from between my lips as Cartler roughly tossed me into a concrete-floored room and his cronies followed. Dragging me up by my arms, they carefully avoided my flailing wings and pushed me up against a wall, where they clamped my wrists into cuffs hanging from chains set into the wall. It very much reminded me of a medieval dungeon. Great.<p>

As the cronies left, Cartler stepped forward, and I jerked my wing away from his outstretched hand. "Oh, Lou. You need to help me help you. You have cost us _so_ much money. Touching your wings isn't that big of a deal!"

I scoffed at him. "Yeah, sure. Says you, soulless ass." Next thing I knew, Cartler's fist was colliding with my left cheekbone, and blinding, white-hot pain laced through my head.

"Shit," I hissed out through my teeth, jerking my head back to the left, effectively swinging my black curls out of my face. Glaring up at him I spit out, "and that was for?"

He smirked, rubbing his fist. I let my eyes drift over him. He looked like Hell. Half his face and one arm was still a puffy red from Rosa's poison, and on the other arm my own crescent bite still leaked blood. "You need to learn to respect your masters. I can't have you messing up another sale."

I grunted as he took a rough grip on my right wing joint. "And they won't notice if I'm beat to Hell?"

He shrugged, squeezing the joint tighter before letting go. "I'm assuming you'll be down here for a while. Now," he announced, slapping his good hand to his thigh, he turned away from me and opened the door. "Meet your…. Trainer."

I glared through my rapidly swelling eye at the slightly blurry figure that stepped through the door. As the 'trainer' got closer I recognized it as a woman. She crouched beside my crouched and chained form, reaching a hand out and bringing my chin up to look down into my eyes. "You _will_ behave," she murmured in a rich, unidentifiable, accent.

**/A/**

Two hours later I was being dragged back to my cage, blood drying in clumps through my feathers. My left eye was fully swollen, there were nicks and cuts across my right jaw, and down my arms, and I was peppered with bruises. I was tossed into the cage, groaning as the swollen side of my face pressed against the cold concrete. I heard the door clang shut and the men walk away. There was little I could do but painfully drag my wings up to cover my body and allow the tears to pool beneath my face.

"Lou? Loey? You a'right? Loey, gimme sign o' life, amiga," I heard spoken quietly from the side. I groaned and rolled onto my shoulder, wincing as the move pulled at some blood-clumped feathers.

"Yeah," I rasped out, "I'm good."

"Ah, Dios. You look awful. I guess you met Carla. She's their stupid-ass trainer. First encounter with her, she used a knife to shear off the scales down my back. La hembra es loca."

I grunted and pushed my shaking arms underneath my chest and pushed myself into a sitting position. I swallowed before speaking, "Cartler's got a mean right hook." My wings lay limply behind me.

"Is anything broken, Lou?" Rosa asked gently.

I carefully moved my body and wings, wincing at the pull of scabbing wounds and dried blood. "I don't think so." I glanced up and saw her reptilian head nodding in relief.

"Good. Now, where'd you get the blade?"

"Before we left to talk to the good father about the slave trade, Magnus tried to arm me with a gun. I decided that I'd rather take the knife."

Rosa nodded, "Well, I'm glad you did…" Her face lit up with a big smile.

Struggling to hold my head up, I groaned, "_What."_

The smile died down to a slight smirk. "As soon as you get some strength back, I can get us out of the cages. Can't guarantee we'll get out of this place alive… but whaddaya say? We're gonna die down here anyway. Might as well get out or die trying."

My thoughts raced. But what about the Sanctuary? I was still convinced that I'd seen Will that day. Then my thoughts turned to Henry. God, Henry. I figured if we could get out, then we could somehow contact someone from the Sanctuary network. Seeing Rosa's expectant eyes waiting for an answer, I nodded blearily before slumping off to the side into a deep, painless sleep.

**/A/**

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get any strength back. The next time I awoke, it was to being dragged out of my cage by another cronie, and he took me back to the same cell I was in before. Carla was waiting for me there.

"So, Lou, is it? It's time for your first lesson."

I sighed as I was pushed back against the wall and shackled. "Oh? And what was that before? Back to school night?"

I small smile quirked her lips. Picking up a long, thin knife from her table of torture, she gestured to me with it. "I like your attitude. It will be _so_ much fun breaking it." She smiled again, stopping directly in front of me with a contemplative look on her face, gently tracing the side of my face with the tip of the blade. "Where to start? Your eyes?" She traced a small circle around my eye. "Your pretty lips?" Traced them. Then she quickly flicked her wrist and sliced a small line into my cheek.

Eyes stinging, I hissed in a tight breath through my teeth.

She smiled. "Now…" she reached forward and knotted a hand in my curly hair, tilting my head back so I was looking up at her. She looked at me thoughtfully before smiling and dropping my head, strolling over to the table and pulling on a pair of heat resistant gloves. Then she reached her hand into a steaming pot. I shook my head dumbly and stared in horror as she then pulled out a steaming piece of metal. An 'X' attached to a simple rod. I squirmed and struggled against the clamps enclosing my wrists as my wings flailed uselessly out to the sides. I watched, tears falling down my face as Carla stopped in front of me and smiled. Then she pressed the X to my face and my nose filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh.

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><p>Reviews make me write longer and more often!<p> 


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